Orange, Roscoe Village

It looks like Orange has moved in and taken over Brett's Cafe already!

Drove by twice today and saw the familiar multi-colored menu pages hanging in the window, and also the small galvanized metal buckets on the tables that hold the juice and pancake flight menus.

Anyone else have any further info? We noticed people in their working all weekend, tables are set and everything, so they could be opening very soon, just didn't get close enough to read any of the signs.

did a little research on google and may have answered my own question..... found this on Yelp:

"Brett is moving to Mexico and after more than 12 years here is closing on Sunday, April 29 '07.

Orange will open here on Mother's Day -- serving breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Here is some additional info about Orange from today's Tribune blog:
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/ ... h_on_.html

For what it's worth, I have a few thoughts on Brett's

1. I loved the bread baskets that came with every meal. Great touch. For some reason though, on a few occasions a lot of the slices were wet, as if someone in the back spilled water on them. Obviously not a big deal, esp because they'd happily give us as much bread as we asked for, but strange nonetheless.

2. The so-called fresh fruit was never fresh. We'd get plates of rock-hard cantaloupe, tasteless strawberries, etc. As much as I loved coming here on Saturday mornings for a relaxed brunch, I can't eat the heavier dishes every time. So many times I ordered the fruit plate and each time I was disappointed. I understand that we can't always get great fruit in Chicago in the winter. But it is better to serve one or two types of flavorful fruit, rather than a six types of bland, unripe fruit. Or, just be upfront with customers and say "fresh fruit isn't available today".

3. The eggs were always flavorless. (I don't mean the dishes overall were flavorless - I mean the eggs themselves didn't have any flavor.) Spend a little more money and get better quality eggs that have some flavor.

Otherwise, the dishes were creative and it was a great neighborhood spot. They just didn't satisfy me with many of the basics, and so we stopped going.

Best of luck to Orange!

they were not open for lunch today

Does anyone eat here regularly? I ate here today and it was pretty terrible.

I have worked in the service industry my entire working life (started as a busboy at 14). I've dealt with awful customers and as a customer i strive to treat the service staff at any bar/restaurant with the upmost respect as they are the most well-rounded people on earth. But everyone in Orange today was a total asshole for no reason.

So, that i can deal with sometimes. You're not gonna get service with a smile at some places and i know that and even appreciate it at certain restaurants. But, at $4.25 for a glass of orange juice (i can go to my bar and get two beers for that), and a $67 bill for 3 people, i expect:

a. good food
b. good service

Both of which we didn't get. not even close.

wait...the orange juice was good. It was fresh squeezed. It was also $4.25 and for that price i would've liked it more if it had sung a song to me when it arrived at the table.

Orange seems to be a restaurant that doesn't take care of it's food, but rather the overall decor of the place and the trendy look. Unfortunately, with the way my neighborhood is going (Roscoe village), putting a trendy, yuppie attracting restaurant on the street is probably a good business plan, so kudos to the owners.

Orange
2011 W Roscoe Street
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 248-0999

Sorry you had such a bad experience djenks. Ours was not at all similar when we had breakfast at Orange last weekend. Even though the place was filling up around 9.15am on a weekend morning, all the servers were unfailingly polite and the food was just fine. It didn't seem any different from the food at the location on Harrison: tasty and somewhat creative. The look of the place doesn't seem to have changed much from when Brett's was there. As for price, I don't know of anything in the area that's any cheaper.

In the end, though, it won't replace my preferred breakfasts on Roscoe: Victory's Banner and Four Moon Tavern.

Victory's Banner Restaurant
www.victorysbanner.com
2100 W Roscoe St
Chicago, IL 60618

Four Moon Tavern
1847 W Roscoe St
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 929-6666

fj123 wrote:it won't replace my preferred breakfasts on Roscoe: Victory's Banner and Four Moon Tavern.

Victory's Banner Restaurant
www.victorysbanner.com
2100 W Roscoe St
Chicago, IL 60618

Four Moon Tavern
1847 W Roscoe St
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 929-6666

Of the other people i've talked to, they also said the service mishap was completely out of left field. The person that took me there today said she had never seen that server there before.

But either way - I don't know if we get different pricing, but Four Moons serves us breakfast for literally half the price that Orange does - without the "hip breakfast place" environment and equally as good food.

I'd also put Victory's Banners french toast up against anything that Orange has to offer (based on everything we ate). Especially since the french toast breakfast is at VB barely more expensive than one glass of OJ at Orange.

So, we're in agreement.

fj123 wrote:Ours was not at all similar when we had breakfast at Orange last weekend. Even though the place was filling up around 9.15am on a weekend morning, all the servers were unfailingly polite and the food was just fine. It didn't seem any different from the food at the location on Harrison: tasty and somewhat creative.

My experience - several visits to Orange on Harrison, mostly on Sunday mornings, none to the Roscoe location - is consistent with that described by fj123.

djenks wrote:But either way - I don't know if we get different pricing, but Four Moons serves us breakfast for literally half the price that Orange does - without the "hip breakfast place" environment and equally as good food.

That's weird. I've got receipts from breakfasts at both from last weekend. For two people, it was $22 at Four Moon and $24.11 at Orange and that includes decent tips. We must be ordering differently.

fj123 wrote:I've got receipts from breakfasts at both from last weekend.

You went out for breakfast twice in one weekend? I'm impressed!

nsxtasy wrote:

fj123 wrote:I've got receipts from breakfasts at both from last weekend.

You went out for breakfast twice in one weekend? I'm impressed!

I could name a few LTHers who have been known to go out for breakfast twice in one day.

fj123 wrote:That's weird. I've got receipts from breakfasts at both from last weekend. For two people, it was $22 at Four Moon and $24.11 at Orange and that includes decent tips. We must be ordering differently.

yeah - like i said - it may be different as we work at a bar down the street and have never actually been given a receipt at the four moons - and that has to be on top of the fact that we're also ordering differently.

But, i can say that i consistently get better and more food at a lesser price at FM than Orange as food is what 99% of my free spending money goes to

All I can say is try the Crab Stacks at Four Moon! English muffin topped with red pepper mayo, crab cakes, and poached eggs. Heavenly!

jbt545 wrote:All I can say is try the Crab Stacks at Four Moon! English muffin topped with red pepper mayo, crab cakes, and poached eggs.

That sounds like the dish I had at brunch at M. Henry yesterday.

djenks wrote: a $67 bill for 3 people

At Orange? I'm sorry but this is completely absurd. IIRC, there is only one item on the menu over $10. You must have: (1) each ordered two breakfasts; and/or (2) each ordered three LARGE glasses of OJ.

ews wrote:

djenks wrote: a $67 bill for 3 people

At Orange? I'm sorry but this is completely absurd. IIRC, there is only one item on the menu over $10. You must have: (1) each ordered two breakfasts; and/or (2) each ordered three LARGE glasses of OJ.

No this isn't absurd at Orange at all. My bill for three for breakfast there was in a similiar price range. 3 juices, 3 coffees, a few meats, a few entrees maybe an order of toast or something. It can get to the $60's quick.

ews wrote:

djenks wrote: a $67 bill for 3 people

At Orange? I'm sorry but this is completely absurd. IIRC, there is only one item on the menu over $10. You must have: (1) each ordered two breakfasts; and/or (2) each ordered three LARGE glasses of OJ.

Completely Absurd? Those .95s add up: Omelet ($8.95)+Toast ($1)+OJ, large ($4)+coffee ($2.50)+10.25% tax ($1.70) +20% tip($3.60)=$21.65 x 3 = $65

Granted, this is from the Harrison Street menu, but I reached the above figure without hardly trying. Sure you can cut corners, but with omelets and pancakes starting generally at $8 and specials at $10, you'd be wise to prepare for $20-$25/head whenever breakfasting nowadays at Orange, Bongo Room, and their ilk.

yeah - i'm sorry if that sounded absurd, but take it up with Orange. I don't know - it almost seems like your post might be alluding to the fact that i was making that up, to which i have to say i do not appreciate.

I'm not going to get on a foodie forum and lie about the price of one of my meals, how old do you think i am?

jbw wrote:you'd be wise to prepare for $20-$25/head whenever breakfasting nowadays at Orange, Bongo Room, and their ilk.

I've eaten at most of these places recently, including Bongo Room, M. Henry, Wishbone, Walker Brother, and Orange on Harrison. Prices on their menus are remarkably consistent within this group, with $9 being the "sweet spot" for most mains (with some less than that), $3.50-4.00 for a large juice, and $2-3 for coffee. I've gone over $20 only on the exceptional occasion when I have ordered more than one beverage, more than one food item, and/or an exceptionally expensive main (only a few are over $10). Based on my experience, I think that most people who order one main and one beverage will find themselves paying $12-20 including tax/tip pretty consistently. But order a large juice AND coffee, or get a dessert after your main, and yes, that's how you can end up over $20.

Bongo Room on Wabash menu with prices
M. Henry Sunday brunch menu with prices; see website for weekday breakfast menu
Wishbone's website has Sunday brunch and weekday breakfast menus with prices
Walker Brothers menu with prices
Orange on Harrison menu with prices

djenks wrote:yeah - i'm sorry if that sounded absurd, but take it up with Orange. I don't know - it almost seems like your post might be alluding to the fact that i was making that up, to which i have to say i do not appreciate.

I'm not going to get on a foodie forum and lie about the price of one of my meals, how old do you think i am?

djenks, Your track record of great posts on lthforum.com speaks for itself. (I've especially enjoyed the posts on sausage making.)

My recent meal at Orange on Roscoe was also in the $20 pp ballpark. They featured their mixed juices, which were very good and are not cheap.

djenks wrote:yeah - i'm sorry if that sounded absurd, but take it up with Orange. I don't know - it almost seems like your post might be alluding to the fact that i was making that up, to which i have to say i do not appreciate.

I'm not going to get on a foodie forum and lie about the price of one of my meals, how old do you think i am?

I don't think you're lying, so I'll just chalk it up to what a previous poster said, that people "order differently"; my bills are more in line with fj123. I think that in ordering as many things as suggested in jbw's post, one shouldn't complain about price. You are going to end up with those kind of check averages ANYWHERE when ordering sides and mulitple beverages. To me then, an indictment of Orange as "expensive" doesn't stick.

I think that in ordering as many things as suggested in jbw's post, one shouldn't complain about price.

Many things? An OJ (in a restaurant named "Orange"), an omelet, a side of toast, and a cup of java for breakfast? Ok, I'll drop the side of toast, but I'm still at $20.15/head. Sure, if you want, you could order two eggs over easy (termed "boring eggs" on the Orange menu) and a glass of water, but if want that for breakfast you may as well walk over to the White Palace Grill and avoid the 20-minute wait.

Oh come on now! Everybody knows those breakfast places are more expensive than many neighborhood places, but it really depends on what you want to order. If you just want two scrambled eggs, you're better off at that coffee shop on the corner (or better still, McDonald's for around a dollar - although most people don't know that you can order eggs without meat there) rather than paying $5.95 for them at Orange or $4.95 for them at Bongo Room or M. Henry. But if you want a pancake "flight" of four different kinds of pancakes (Orange, $10.95, one of only two items on their menu over $8.95), or creamy polenta topped with two eggs, sharp cheddar and fresh thyme, wrapped in applewood bacon and served atop a mixed greens salad (M. Henry, $8.95), or banana pancakes topped with crushed oreos served with warm vanilla bean cream and chocolate creme anglaise (Bongo Room, $8.95), then you'll need to go to one of those breakfast specialty places and pay the price. At any of these places, you can get a main for $8.95 and coffee for $2.50, thrown on tax and tip, and you're around $15; order more, and pay more. It's your choice; you can go where you want, and select whatever foods and beverages you want. The prices are as indicated on the menus in the links above; whether you consider them to be expensive or not expensive depends on what you're comparing them against. As soon as my local McDonald's starts selling a delicious puffed up cinnamony apple pancake for a dollar, and fresh squeezed orange juice for a dollar, I'm going to stop going to Walker Brothers. But I'm not holding my breath that that's ever going to happen.

By the way, just to clarify matters, I personally am not kvetching about the price. I'm merely pointing out the fact that if you want to take advantage of what's being offered at Orange/Bongo be prepared to pay about $20/head. I've been taking issue with a previous post that commented on the "complete absurdity" of dropping $67 for a party of 3 for a breakfast at Orange.

Yes, I think we've established that it's not absurd. But you do need to do things that not everyone will do, such as ordering a large juice as well as coffee, or multiple food items, or the steak and eggs benedict.

If you go there and order any food item (other than the steak and eggs benedict or pancake flight) and coffee, you're looking at no more than $11.45 plus tax/tip, or around $15 total.

Post-Halloween hangover brunch at Orange today. We were at the Fullerton and Clark location, I believe. Sunday brunch is a funny thing. Why is it that every girl at this place looks like someone I went to college with? In fact, I'm pretty certain I was standing across from a girl I had some sociology class with. Lincoln Park is a curious place indeed.

20ish minute wait at shortly before 11 am. Not too bad. Guy working the clipboard had a bit of a 'tude but was at least efficient. He grudgingly sat us even though the third member of our party was a couple blocks away. Nice, I guess. The food was fine enough, not counting the frushi. Portions are rather large to the point where I didn't want to finish.

Frushi

Seriously? I'm not sure what the deal with this is. It's not that creative and certainly not that good. Whatever shred of Japaneseness I've managed to preserve over my life was offended by this. Sweet, sticky rice with fruit can be amazing (see: Thailand); this was not.

Chai French toast

I ordered this. Flavorwise it was pretty decent. The whole dish felt rather unintegrated. A soup of milky chai tea with some stuffed French toast on top. I much prefer where the custard component is fully incorporated into the bread.

Omelette 11.5

Tried this omelette with a supposedly French bent. Leeks, perhaps some bacon, some brie were included. There was also some mention of avocado mousse, but I neither saw nor tasted this. Again, this was fine but tasted disparate. The leeks seemed to overwhelm the other ingredients. This would've worked better if the leeks were soft and melting rather than simply cooked through. The cheese wasn't fully melted and the presence of the rind was rather distracting.

Clearly I'm not gushing about this place. It's brunch, it's close to my friend's place. It's not particularly expensive. It'll do. That said, as I make my brunch rounds Orange won't become a regular habit.

It's gotten to the point where I now actively dislike Orange. The frushi is just dumb. I had that same omelet the last time I was there and it was pretty terrible (also missing the avocado mousse). Between the Orange at Clark & Fullerton and Sarks on the Park across the street, it's just a black hole of brunch suckiness. Better to stick the crepes at Icosium just a few doors away.

I'm sure if I ate here a few times I'd grow to dislike it. It's one of those places, not the type that becomes endearing. For this one-off meal it was fine.

I could hit Orange with a shoe from where I'm sitting and I don't eat there. It looks like one of those cute, imaginative city breakfast places like Over Easy or Milk & Honey, but it only takes your food actually arriving to demonstrate what a big "ennh" it really is.

In fact, I never eat breakfast on the breakfast row I live near (although there's a couple of things on the menu at Kitsch'n that are all right; I've just had both of them plenty of times already).